In case your phone gets stolen.

Cell-phone theft has gone up as devices change and become more sophisticated—and pricier.

Last week my BlackBerry was stolen; luckily, since it’s on Iusacell, the insurance will replace it (I only know that Nextel and Iusacell Mexico offer this service).

Here in Mexico, if your SIM-chip phone is stolen, whoever took it can keep using the device without any problem. That’s why I’m suggesting two things:

1.- Write down your IMEI.

What is the IMEI? In short, it’s the unique code of the handset. If you report your IMEI, the stolen phone gets blacklisted, and even if they swap the SIM, they won’t be able to use it.

How to get it?

a) Dial *#06# and the IMEI will pop up (on any phone from any carrier).

b) Remove the back cover and battery; it should be printed on the device.

c) On the box the phone came in.

By reporting the IMEI to your carrier, the handset will be blocked and rendered useless 🙂

2.- Software.

For some smartphones there’s this app: DashWire. It’s free and works through the phone’s GPS.